Shot man charged with assaulting police officer

Police have charged a 27-year-old man with assaulting a police officer after he was shot by police in Applecross last week.

The man was shot twice by police officers who say he threatened them with a large chef's knife.

The incident happened after the officers stopped the man for street drinking on Canning Highway.

Police allege the man assaulted police during the incident.

He has been charged with assault of a public officer whilst armed.

The man is in a stable condition in hospital and took part in a bedside court hearing today.

Last week, the WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the officers fired a Taser at the man after he threatened them with a knife but the device failed.

One of the officers then fired his gun when the man charged at them with the knife above his head.

He said people who attempted to attack his officers should expect they may receive serious injuries.

The head of the police Internal Affairs Unit Detective Superintendent Tony Flack said the officer who fired the shot has seven years experience and feared for his life.

Superintendent Flack said the incident was captured on a bus camera and witnesses have told police the offender was aggressive.

He said the first class constable should be commended.

"On the basis of the witness interviews and on the video we have, it appears at this point in time that his use of force and his judgement and the way he went about himself was well within policy and guidelines, and is a credit to him," he said.